


1AM Whispers

by Lee_Mix



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 05:44:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5405222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lee_Mix/pseuds/Lee_Mix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has bad nights. Marinette had hardly pegged herself for a “cat” burglar, but maybe her street-cat with a heart of gold had rubbed off on her. (Post-reveal)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1AM Whispers

The nightmares had come into her life just like falling asleep; slowly, and then all at once.

At first, they were manageable. The odd night terror had never dissuaded her from daily life before, perhaps just altered her mood for the first few hours of waking. A tumble here, a gasp in the night there, nothing that a typical teenager couldn’t shrug off in place of more important things (in her case,  _saving the world)._

It was when Marinette caught the familiar glint of black, fluttering wings hovering outside her window one night into early summer, that they began to get worse. Nightmares were  _never_ supposed to be so tangible. She wasn’t supposed to taste the metallic flavour of blood on her teeth, nor hear the snapping of her beloved rebellious street cat’s bones left in a heap next to her. Everything had become distorted until not even the colours of the world were in the right place.

It was then that she had decided she needed  _someone._

Her hand shook as Ladybug formed back into Marinette, and she held it just shy of knocking on Adrien’s window. Pure instinct had brought her here.

Pulling the strings like she had the little conscience of her own.

Marinette gulped down any remaining fear and tapped on the glass gently. “Adrien?” She called out to the night air, her chilled breath fogging up the window. “Adrien, are you awake?”

First, silence.

Then, her ears began to ring as she heard someone shuffling inside. Murmured voices sounded irritated, (she was guessing Plagg didn’t like being interrupted from his sleep) until a small glow came from the corner of the room.

Adrien pulled up the blinds, rubbing his eyes. As soon as his gaze met hers, she gave a shy wave, and he merely stared.

_If he wasn’t awake then, I guess he is now._

_“Mari?”_ Adrien mouthed in confusion, before shaking his head and going over toward the window to let her in. Within seconds, her feet kissed the warmth of the cream carpet in his room, and she fiddled with her thumbs shyly.

“Sorry… to bother you.”

“No, it’s…” He barely concealed a yawn. “It’s fine. Is… something the matter? Is there an attack going on?" Adrien paused. No reaction from Marinette. Tried another approach. "Or did you come here for something elsse?”

Marinette rubbed her arm, and he trailed off. A part of her was trying to focus on what  _should_ be overtaking her mind–Adrien’s messy hair, rumpled clothing, and tired eyes  _should_ have made her heart leap for joy, yet nothing came to her head but the utter idiocy behind her visit.

 _Night terrors._ And she was what, almost sixteen?

He’d laugh her out of the entire city.

“Mari?” Adrien placed his hands on her shoulders, crouching down to meet her hesitant gaze “Is everything alright with you?” His thumbs went to trace the dark circles underneath her eyes. “What’s… why do you look so exhausted? You were like this in class earlier, too. Is something wrong?”

The sheer intensity of worry in his voice was enough, and her knees buckled from the emotional strain she had forcibly tied together with her heartstrings. Within seconds, she had crumbled into his arms, and the only thing she was able to hold back was the audibility of her hysterics.

To his credit, Adrien hadn’t pushed her away. He had simply scooped her up, one arm under her knees, and taken her over to his bed to hold her until she stopped shaking. Stroking through her hair, and kissing the top of her head, and she knew that she had made the right choice.

Eventually, the quivers ceased to a reasonable amount. Her laboured breaths remained shaky, but Marinette found the strength to pull away a little, to look directly at Adrien in the eyes.

“…I haven’t been sleeping well.”

He held her closer to him and sighed. “I guessed that. I’ve sort of known all week that something may have been wrong. I didn’t want to say anything until you were ready to talk about it.”

She smiled up at him, putting her hand over his. “Thanks. I…” Marinette bit her lip, as the smile faded. “I-It’s been getting worse. I can handle  _nightmares,_ things that don’t make sense. But… I… when I see people I  _care_ about hurt, i-it messes me up. I can’t exactly talk to many people about this, so…”

“Mari,” Adrien hoisted her closer by her waist and hid his head in the crook of her neck. “Even if it’s a  _paper cut_ that’s bothering you, I’ll listen.”

_How did I find you? Out of all the people in this world, how did I get lucky enough to find someone as kindhearted as you?_

“Silly kitty, you’ll make me cry again…”

Adrien laughed as he stroked her hair, not saying another word.

The evolution of their relationship  _still_ caught her off-guard at times. The playful banter, the flirtatious nature, that was easy to pin down. But then came the ease of trust, the protectiveness, the dedication stretching to literally  _dying_ for the other. All of it spoke so many words… and yet she was still confused by the meaning. Even still, their rhythm and natural way of things meant  _so_ much to her… she didn’t  _need_ to try and label what it was growing into. 

It was just  _theirs,_ and it was everything it needed to be.

Marinette gently played with the fabric of the blanket and gazed up at him through her lashes. “…U-uhm…”

“Mm?” Adrien’s eyes had closed at this point, evidently relaxed. “You need something?”

“C…could I stay here tonight?”

The sharp intake of breath that followed from him, as well as coupled with a blush, almost left her laughing. The wide-eyed look in his eyes did little to deter the giggling, though.

Adrien cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. “Y-Yes. Just… stop  _laughing_ at me already _._ It wasn’t  _that_  funny.”

 

* * *

 

Marinette had figured out long ago; Adrien was like a clock. The face on the surface held many little intricacies and hidden secrets underneath. What one assumed on the surface had a plethora of cogs and pins keeping the dials turning and the time going.

Adrien, admitting to it or not, purred when he had a good night’s rest. He stretched and grinned if she scratched gently underneath his chin in a certain spot. He had habits of pawing at his hair, and he curled up on the edge of the bed to give her more room even in his unconscious state. 

Now the clock had struck one, Marinette found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him.

_He’s beautiful._

“Adrien?” She gently poked his shoulder. “Adrien?”

“Mm?” He mumbled, blinking sleepily at her. “Yeah, Mari?”

Marinette smiled. “I love you.”

Those beautiful green eyes glossed over, and he wrapped his arms around her in an impossibly tight hug. If he had said it in return, had been lost to the muffled sobs that came from his throat.

_At least tonight, those dreams won’t stand a chance. I made him happy._


End file.
